Twist of Fate: Bare Necessities
by whoa nellie
Summary: When the Voyager crew encounters an alien race in need, Mother Nature provides the recipe for solving their problem.


Title: Twist of Fate: Bare Necessities   
Author: Whoa Nellie (whoanellie40hotmail.com)   
Series: Voyager   
New   
Rating: R (for adult subject matter)   
Codes: C/f   
Synopsis: When the Voyager crew encounters an alien race in need, Mother Nature provides the recipe for solving their problem. 

Author's Notes: Feel free to archive to any pertinent site. This story does stand on its own, not necessary to have read the previous stories except for more detailed background information on Ceshlyta and how she got there. 

Previous stories from the Twist of Fate storyline (in order): Blessings of the Sky Spirits, Wyrd, What Comes Naturally, Fresh Perspective, Culinary Delights, Chaos Theory, Unforeseen Circumstance, A Matter of Definition, Love and Copulation, Million Kilometer High Club and Comings and Goings. 

Background: Ceshlyta is Chakotay's wife and soulmate. She is descended from the Inheritors through a different tribe and was joined with Chakotay in a wedding at the Temple of the Sky Spirits before they put her on Voyager. She was a Professor of Botany on Earth when the Sky Spirits joined their souls, intertwined their life paths and put her on Voyager. Her nickname, used by most of the other crew members, is Sassy. 

Acknowledgements: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun playing with them.   
Feedback is always appreciated, posted or e-mail. 

This is an edited version. If you are over 18 and would like to read the NC-17 version, it can be found at Whoa Nellie's Sci-Fi Romance Fanfiction website which is linked to from our author page. 

Bare Necessities 

Chakotay tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss. One hand slipped inside Sassy's jumpsuit to stroke the soft, flat plane of her stomach while his other hand found the binding of her braid. His fingers combed through the black, silky curtain of hair to loosen it, allowing it to fall around her shoulders. When he'd stopped by the garden after his shift, his intention had been dinner with his wife in the mess. Watching her finish her work, he'd sat down at the base of an apple tree where one quick peck on the cheek had led to this. His uniform jacket was open and Sassy was laying across his lap with her arms around him. Her breasts were crushed against his chest and her tongue danced erotically with his. Dinner completely forgotten, his hips jerked hungrily at the feeling of her hands pulling his uniform shirt out of his pants. He broke the kiss abruptly and captured her hands. 

Sassy whimpered once before exhaling deeply and opening her eyes. "Problem? I mean, I know you didn't just start something that you don't have time to finish." 

"Not here," he remarked dropping a kiss on the tip of her cute, little nose. "Our little exhibition was a one time-only performance." 

Sitting up, she straightened her jumpsuit and refastened the top. "It's not my fault that you neglected to lock the door before seducing me. Did you ever find out who it was?" 

"No," he sighed. He stood, brushed himself off and offered his hand to help Sassy up. "Let's finish this line of thought in our quarters." Walking hand-in-hand toward the door, Chakotay's commbadge chirped. "Chakotay here," he responded, already knowing that they weren't going to finish anything. 

Janeway's voice came over the link. "Would you care to join us, Commander?" 

"Captain?" 

"We're at red alert and about to be attacked. Would you care to man your station?" she elaborated. 

Sassy cringed. "I turned off the light and siren here in the garden. The incessant blaring was upsetting the plants," she whispered. 

"On my way, Captain." Chakotay shot her a 'we'll-definitely-discuss-this-further' look and ran toward the door only to slam into it when the door failed to open. 

"I had the computer automatically secure the door during a red alert," she offered weakly at his expression; "so I wouldn't accidentally go wandering around the ship during an alert." 

.................................................... 

"Good of you to join us, Commander," Janeway commented dryly as Chakotay rushed onto the bridge. 

Chakotay took his seat and scanned the ship's status indicators. "Apparently the plants didn't like the red alert klaxon so Sassy de-activated it in the garden." 

"Brace for impact," Harry called out. 

"Then they're really not going to like this," Janeway quipped tersely, gripping the armrests of her chair. 

The ship shuddered violently. Tuvok braced himself with one hand while his other hand moved across the console. "Multiple projectiles have penetrated our shields." 

"Hull breaches on Deck 8," Harry reported. 

"Seal--" Chakotay began. 

"Bio-signs detected!" Harry interjected. "The projectiles were pods of some sort, we're being boarded." 

Tuvok tapped several panels. "Security teams to Deck 8." Exchanging nods with Chakotay, Tuvok left to meet his teams and Chakotay took over at Security. 

Janeway scanned the incoming data. "Stop those capsules from getting through, Mr. Kim. Chakotay, target phasers at 50% power if necessary." 

Harry spoke up. "If we interface the deflector with sensors, we can hit them with a repulsor beam, bounce them off. It might not catch all of them, but--" 

"Do it," Janeway ordered. 

................................................. 

In the garden on Deck 8, Sassy was pounding the fingers trying to pry open the garden door. Pausing briefly, she slapped her communicator. "Sassy to Chakotay." 

"We're a little busy at the moment," Chakotay replied. 

"Well, I hate to bother you," she retorted, "but the garden is being invaded. Could I get some help, please?"   
  
................................................. 

Up on the bridge, Chakotay tapped several controls and, in seconds, Sassy materialized on the bridge. 

"That was very helpful," Sassy commented. "Thank you." 

"Open hailing frequencies," Janeway ordered, gesturing for Sassy to sit in Chakotay's unoccupied seat. 

"Frequencies open," Harry acknowledged. 

"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. Cease your attack and respond; there is no need for anyone to be hurt, but we will defend ourselves if necessary." 

Harry shook his head. "No response." 

Janeway resumed her hail. "If you do not stop, we will be forced to fire on you, our sensors indicate that your shields will not protect you from our phaser weapons." 

"They're responding," Harry reported. He activated the comm system to transfer the incoming message to the viewscreen. 

Janeway stood and straightened her uniform jacket. "Hello, thank you for responding. Whatever problem or misunderstanding prompted this, I can assure you that we're peaceful travelers. Perhaps you'd like to come aboard and discuss this in person." 

................................................. 

An hour later, the intruders and their leader, a man named Nevane, sat in the conference room with Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok. Two security guards stood silently near the doors. Hull repairs were underway and the crewmembers who had sustained injuries had already been treated. 

"Vog is your title?" Janeway asked the leader who had agreed to be beamed over at her invitation. 

He nodded. "Yes, Vog is my title, Nevane is my name. May I ask why you are so calm about the circumstances? I'm not complaining, mind you, it's just hardly what I would have expected." 

"Well, I'm not very happy about the damage you and your people did to my ship," Janeway acknowledged. "Nevertheless, we're not in the habit of killing people just because we're not happy. We're fortunate that no one got killed in your initial assault." 

Chakotay spoke up. "Why exactly did you attack us?" 

Nevane exchanged glances with his people. "Please understand, we are nomads, our ships are our homes. We travel and see what we can see as our ancestors set out to do generations ago." 

"What if one of your people wish to stop traveling and settle down?" Tuvok wanted to know, thinking about the generational ship they had encountered. 

"We celebrate," Nevane said. "We throw a party during which everyone says their goodbyes and they are free to leave. Because of our wandering nature, the likelihood of locating us in order to return is small so our people do not make that decision lightly." 

"That doesn't explain why you attacked us," Chakotay said. 

"Vegetation," Nevane replied. "We have machines that can clean poisons out of the air, but we have no machines that can create air for us to breathe. Green plants throughout all of our ships create that good air as part of a chemical reaction; however, we cannot keep the plants alive indefinitely. We replace the plants and soil whenever we get to a planet with suitable conditions; unfortunately there have been no planets with suitable vegetation for several months and our sensors do not detect any for at least several more months. By that time, we will have run out of air to breathe. We detected vegetation aboard your ship and decided to--" 

"Steal it," Janeway finished for him. 

Nevane squarely met her gaze. "Your ship can go much faster than ours, it would take you mere days to travel a distance which would take us months to travel. With your technology, you may not even need the vegetation to produce air. We were trying to avoid hurting anyone, although, I confess my people were under orders to bring along the person we detected in the garden. We wouldn't have harmed them, we were only hoping to find a way to keep our air source alive for longer periods of time." 

"Her," Chakotay said softly. "The person in charge of our garden is my wife." 

Janeway sat forward. "What Commander Chakotay is saying is that kidnapping any member of this crew would force us to react much more aggressively. If you want our help, I'll need your word that you'll stop any efforts to steal anyone or anything from my ship." 

"We are not a wealthy people, Captain," Nevane said. 

"Our people have a policy of helping travelers in distress in any way we can regardless of any other considerations," Janeway assured him. 

"But you do have something of value to us," Tuvok pointed out. "Knowledge, you have generations of information on regions of space we're currently heading into." 

Janeway nodded and gestured casually. "We would greatly appreciate any star charts or cultural information on the places that your people have been." 

Nevane glanced briefly at his people who all nodded assent. He turned back to Janeway. "Agreed, Captain, you and your people may have complete access to all of our ships, people and computers to glean any and all knowledge we may be able to provide." 

"In exchange," Janeway stipulated, "we will provide you with vegetation and training from our botanist on keeping the plants healthy." 

Chakotay swiveled his chair toward Nevane. "Why didn't you just ask for help to start with?" 

Nevane shrugged helplessly. "We didn't realize you could afford to be so generous; you might have said no and then we'd have lost the element of surprise." 

................................................... 

"What?" Sassy shrieked. Her presence had been requested at a senior staff meeting to discuss the situation. "You want to loan me out to people who were trying to steal me? Have you all lost your minds?" 

"Aalm," Chakotay soothed. "You'll be safe, they've agreed to accept our help under the condition that they not make any further kidnapping or theft attempts." 

"They won't need to try," she pointed out. "You're going to give me to them on a silver platter." 

Tom piped up. "They only have impulse capacity, it's not like they could make a run for it." 

"They don't have enough power to beak free of our tractor beam and their shields are too weak to block our transporter," Harry added. "They can't run and they can't hide." 

Tuvok addressed the issue of off-ship security. "You will be accompanied by two security officers at all times while onboard the alien vessels." 

Chakotay reached for her hand. "I promise you that nobody will ever take you away from me. I will always find you." 

"I don't mind providing them with plants, seeds and cuttings," Sassy sighed. "It's the part of this plan that requires me to beam into the lion's den to get them set up." 

Janeway carefully considered her words. "You're a civilian, Doctor Ceshlyta, this would be a volunteer assignment for you." 

Sassy sighed again. "You all swear on everything you hold precious that they will not be allowed to leave until all of me--not just my communicator--is back aboard Voyager." 

Chakotay drew her hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of it. "Promise." 

Everyone around the table echoed the vow. 

"Fine," Sassy said. "Let me review what they've got and put a report together." 

"Work with Mr. Kim," Janeway said. "One more thing, Sassy, about the red alert klaxon in the garden." 

"This ship goes to red alert practically every other day," she pointed out defensively. 

"Not quite," Janeway countered. 

Sassy shrugged. "Maybe it just seems like it, but regardless, it causes undue stress on the plants. The lighting in the different sections of the garden is carefully calibrated as are sound levels. The light and siren ruin the ambience, which disrupts growing cycles. No, before you ask, it wouldn't be enough to kill the plants but it does decrease productivity and weaken the overall health of the garden eco-system." 

"What about a single status indicator over the door with a short tone when it changes," B'Elanna suggested. "One of my engineers could have it done in a couple of hours." 

Janeway looked to Sassy. "Well?" 

"That would work," she agreed. "Thank you." 

"All right then, Mr. Kim, status of repairs," Janeway continued on with the staff meeting. 

................................................... 

"Coming to bed?" Chakotay asked the next evening. 

"Soon," Sassy mumbled distractedly. 

He chuckled and walked over to stand beside the chair where she sat. "This is a switch, usually I'm the one lost in PADDs and you're trying to pull me away." 

As his words sunk in, she giggled. "You have a point; but you're not really trying very hard. You're still fully dressed." 

"You have a point," he conceded in return. "Why don't you show me how it's done." 

"I just need to finish this report," she said. 

Chakotay pulled the PADD out of her hands. "You just need to tell me what's wrong." 

"There are still some logistics to work out," she said. 

"Aalm." 

Sassy shook her head. "It's nothing; it's stupid." 

He picked her up and sat down in the chair with Sassy on his lap. "There's nothing stupid about being scared." 

Trying to ignore the warmth of his body and the tender strength in his hands as he began unbinding her braid, she looked down at her hands. "I threw a huge fit in the middle of the mess hall and we had the biggest fight of our marriage over my being included on away missions that called for a botanist. Now here's an away mission that requires a botanist and I don't want to go." 

He combed his fingers through her long, dark hair. "I'd say you don't have to go but we both know that this is voluntary, this is your choice." 

Sassy snuggled against his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. "I can't pick and choose when I'm the ship's botanist and when I'm just your wife. You don't get to choose when you're First Officer and when you're just Chakotay." 

"I spent the day talking with Vog Nevane and several of their elders about places they've been and cultures that they've encountered. They're explorers, sort of like intergalactic gypsies, there's no evidence that they're bad or malicious. Do you know that they don't even remember where their home planet is? They could have originally been from the Alpha Quadrant for all we know. Seven is working on an interface to download their database which holds the records of more than a century of exploration." 

"I can tell already that my creativity will be tested in dragging you away from those files," she commented, her voice muffled somewhat by the fabric of his uniform. His chest shook beneath her cheek with his soft laughter. 

They sat there, silent, for several moments before Chakotay got back to the issue at hand. "Obviously Voyager could go on with or without you--not that I would want to go back to life without you. The garden has become a much more central component of ship's functions and resources than ever and no one on this ship wants to lose the ample fresh fruits and vegetables or the garden itself. Every security precaution will be taken to secure our ship's botanist." 

Something he said struck her as funny. "You're saying that you only love me for my melons?" 

Chakotay grinned. "Most of the men and a few of the women onboard Voyager adore your melons." 

Sassy nuzzled his neck. "What about the First Officer?" 

He stood, holding her in his arms. "How do I love you? Let me count the ways; better yet, since actions speak louder than words, let me show you." 

Wrapping her arms around his neck, her tongue flicked at his earlobe before pulling it into her mouth. She felt the familiar weightlessness of being carried by strong arms followed by the softness of the comforter against her back as he laid her on the bed. There was no urgency, just the sensation of being safe and snug within the haven of his embrace. 

Much later, he collapsed against her, his hand casually trailing up her body to brush her hair back. 

Sassy started to sigh contentedly and suddenly broke into giggles. 

"Laughter may be the best medicine," Chakotay commented dryly, "but now really isn't a good time for me." 

She tenderly caressed his tattoo. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's not you, I was thinking about the euphemisms we were playing with before. A couple of entendres about enjoying the fruits of your labor and seeding the gardener flashed through my mind and I figured out the solution to that logistical problem that I'd been working on." 

"Okay, also doesn't speak well for me that your mind was on so many other things during what should be blissful afterglow." He rolled to his side and propped his head on his hand. 

She arched an eyebrow. "You can't possibly still think that every single time we engage in conjugal relations, it's a mind-blowing experience. Enjoyable as it always is, sometimes it isn't even a breath-taking experience." 

"Why don't we go back to that logistical problem," he suggested. "This line of conversation is not doing much for my ego." 

Sassy smiled and placed a kiss on the broad, tanned expanse of his chest. "I love you, mi aalm. All right, the logistical problem was regarding the issue of plant food. They use recycled water to hydrate the plants but the primary reason their plants die is a lack of proper nourishment. Their food supply isn't suitable and without replication technology, any plant food we give them would eventually be gone and they'd be back to square one." 

"But you thought of a solution." 

"You might say that you actually planted the seed," she snickered. "It occurred to me that I was able to cut back on the nutrients I used back in the coffee tree grove because of the extra-curricular activities taking place among crew members back there." 

Chakotay looked confused for a moment until Sassy waggled her eyebrows and looked pointedly down at their naked bodies. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I never want to see that substance on a requisition form." 

"Kathryn and I discussed that early on and decided to just let nature take its course back there. Of course, if we ever need to conserve energy, we could eliminate the replication of nutrients for the garden and utilize Voyager's manpower . . . so to speak." 

"This had got to be the most ridiculous conversation I've ever had," he sighed. 

"Assuming that their semen is protein-based as well," she went on. "That could provide them with an endless supply of plant food. We can provide some plant nutrients to augment it, but--" 

He covered her lips with his fingers. "Spirits, please just put it in your report. I really want this conversation to be over now." 

................................................................ 

"You want me to what?" the EMH asked incredulously. 

All of the senior staff sitting around the conference table snickered until a sharp look from Janeway silenced them. "Please continue, Doctor Ceshlyta." 

Sassy schooled her expression into her most professional demeanor. "The list of plants includes both cuttings and replicated plants that will provide them with maximum oxygen production as well as some fresh fruits. The Doctor has already determined which fruits will be most beneficial to their systems. We can provide them with a supply of nutrients, but that would only be a short-term solution." 

"There is a significant deuterium deposit in this region," Seven noted. "Replicating quantities would not be a strain on Voyager's resources." 

Harry nodded in agreement with Seven before adding, "Space is the real concern, at most they can store a year's supply." 

Sassy went back to her initial request. "If the Doctor can determine the components in their semen, it might be possible for them to fertilize the plants that way and stretch the nutrient supply out for several years." 

Tom had a question. "Who's going to explain the intricacies of this plan to them?" 

"It should be a man," Sassy said quickly. "To avoid any cultural offense." 

Janeway barely managed to hide a smirk. "Well then, Doctor--" 

"If culture is a concern," the EMH interrupted, "perhaps someone with an anthropological slant should handle the matter." 

Tom and Harry glanced at each other and broke out laughing at the EMH's choice of words. 

"All right," Janeway re-asserted order. "Commander Chakotay, you will accompany the Doctor to meet with Vog Nevane and explain the proposal. 

...................................................................... 

Chakotay found Sassy working on a plant bed aboard one of the alien vessels. He nodded to Molina and Bristow standing guard nearby. He heard her humming softly as he knelt beside her. "They were able to provide us with information on a friendly race a few light years from here where we can allow everyone some shore leave once we're finished here." 

"Is that the First Officer telling the Ship's Botanist to get a move on?" Sassy asked, grinning. 

"I wouldn't dare," he replied with his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Even I know you can't hurry nature." 

Without pausing in her work, she provided him with the update he wanted. "I have one more ship, but Harry has already got the preparations underway there so I should be finished with the planting by tomorrow. I still need to teach them basic plant care and I'm leaving a database of botanical information for them to refer to in case of problems. What about the supply of nutrients?" 

Chakotay held up a PADD. "They're replicating it now. I talked with Nevane and we're going to beam a supply of it onto each of the ships as it's ready. That should be all finished by tomorrow morning, so we can be on our way in another day or two." 

She watered the plant bed after settling the last plant in place. 

"What was that song you were humming when I came up?" he asked, standing up and offering his hand to help her up. 

She thought for a moment. "Oh, that's just a silly old song that's been stuck in my head for the past day or so." She began singing softly, "Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the bare necessities, oh Mother Nature's recipes that bring the bare necessities of life." 

FINIS   



End file.
